Three of the 37 Doha Metro stations are expected to be ready for final Civil Defence inspection by December, Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) has said.


Economic Zone station interior vaulted ceiling work.

These three stations - Al Doha Al Jadeda, Al Qassar and Economic Zone - have been designated as ‘Pilot Stations’.
This is part of the “forward outlook for the remainder of 2017,” which also envisages the following: the first four rolling stock (trains) from Japan are anticipated to arrive in Doha before the year-end, testing and commissioning is projected to commence by the fourth quarter of 2017, and substantial completion of all three elevated stations of the Metro Red Line South is anticipated by the end of December.
Qatar Rail recently organised a Delivery Alignment Workshop to evaluate the extent of progress to date and explore all opportunities to accelerate progress and ensure that timely delivery is secured. The workshop was attended by Qatar Rail’s executive management, the project delivery team and project management consultants, as well as by HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti.
In a press statement yesterday, Qatar Rail outlined the progress achieved so far, noting that key factors for the accomplishments in the first half of this year could be ascribed to the fast-track approach in awarding the MEP and architectural fit-out packages and by implementing the systems contractor’s mitigation plans. The adopted strategy will ensure earlier installation of railway equipment in the technical rooms of the stations and allow an earlier start of testing and commissioning, Qatar Rail has said.
Also key to the progress has been the establishment of a co-operative relationship with the Civil Defence, according to Qatar Rail. Familiarisation with rail systems and underground facilities by conducting pre-inspection visits “have been and will continue to be an essential factor” to obtain the required permits on time. As of today, all civil contracts have achieved DC1 designs approval. 
The statement recalled that a Business Transformation Programme was launched towards the end of 2016. It contained four pillars: delivery of the programme on time, within budget and to the required quality, financial and operational sustainability, organisational efficiency and building Qatari capabilities. 
The Business Transformation Programme aligns with the directives set out in the speech delivered by His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the 45th Ordinary Session of the Advisory Council concerning timely completion of all infrastructure projects in the State of Qatar, striving for greater efficiency in government spending, diversifying the economy and ensuring sustainable development and national human capability building, Qatar Rail said. 
“Our key focus for the year 2017 is implementation and achievement of the Business Transformation Programme goals,” Abdulla al-Subaie, Qatar Rail managing director and CEO, said.
2017 is a “crucial time to ensure the operational readiness preparations, strengthening engagement with the Civil Defence and other external stakeholders, implementation of revenue strategies particularly in relation to retail, advertising and station-naming rights and construction award for transit-oriented developments”, the statement further noted.
Meanwhile, al-Subaie said “Qatar Rail’s accomplishments and its ambitious plans would not be possible without the judicious leadership and unremitting guidance of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani”. HE The Minister of Transport and Communications thanked Qatar Rail’s leadership and the team for the achievements so far and expressed confidence that the team would deliver the Qatar Rail project on schedule and within budget. He reinforced the significance of the Doha Metro project, which would represent the backbone in the creation of an integrated public transport system in Doha. 
Al-Sulaiti and al-Subaie emphasised that the close involvement of HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, who is also the chairman of Qatar Rail, is a key inspiration for the implementation of many of Qatar Rail’s ambitious initiatives for the continuous improvement in performance.
“The workshop has developed a set of prioritised actions, which will now be implemented to ensure timely project delivery. We would be conducting similar workshops with the priority contractors to engage them around the actions required to achieve the programme targets,” al-Subaie noted. “The work is progressing as usual at all construction sites and we are determined to meet our timeline for delivery of what will be a world-class transport system for Qatar.”

Pilot Station - an integral part of project

As part of the efforts undertaken to build confidence in the timely completion and delivery of the project, and nurture a transparent working protocol, Qatar Rail said it has initiated an early inspection protocol with the competent authorities. An integral part of this effort has been the development of the Pilot Station concept. 
Three of the 37 Metro stations for Phase 1 have been designated as ‘Pilot Stations’ and will serve as a benchmark for the integrated station model for civil, MEP and systems. These stations are Al Qassar as part of the Red Line North Underground package, Al Doha Al Jadeda as part of the Red Line South Underground package, and Economic Zone as part of the Red Line South Elevated and At Grade package. The first Pilot Station, Al Qassar, has witnessed “remarkable progress” with civil and structural works almost 98% complete in the last month, according to Qatar Rail. The entrance shelter structure has been erected with internal architectural works now ongoing, and the final wall finishes (tiling) have commenced. 
For Al Doha Al Jadeda, the ‘trackwork’ has been installed within the station and the systems equipment rooms are being fitted out. The first batch of escalators has been delivered to the  site for installation with structural concrete works nearing completion. The pedestrian underpasses are structurally complete without the need for disrupting the flow of traffic on the existing Al Matar Road above. Architectural interior fit-out is also at an advanced stage. 
The third Pilot Station, Economic Zone, has also witnessed “profound progress”, currently 78% overall complete. As of the end of June, the civil and structural works are complete while internal architectural works are now in progress with superstructure for walls and vaults completed. Installation of the glass reinforced panel roof cladding to the main building is over 80% complete with the glass facade for nearly 70% of the station in place. The ‘trackwork’ has been installed within the station and the systems equipment rooms are being fitted out. All 10 escalators are now fully installed. The project has also engaged with the Civil Defence and it is proposed to have the first site visit scheduled for July 15.



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